[Retaining time of tympanic ventilation tube and aural complications]

To study the relationship of retaining time of tympanic ventilation tube and aural complications.

Three-hundred-five patients(659 ears)with otitis media with effusion (OME) received tympanostomy tube insertion. The tube were removed 6-36 months after tube insertion. Then aural complications were recorded in different tube retaining time, followed with a statistic analysis.

Fifty-five tubes of 29 patients were removed at 1-6 months after tube insertion, with spontaneous extrusion 3.4%, blocked tube 10.3%, intrusion into the middle ear 0, granulation tissue 0, cholesteatoma 0, otorrhea 6.9%, perforation 0. One hundred and ninety tubes of 96 patients were removed at 6-12 months after tube insertion , with spontaneous extrusion 7.3%, blocked tube 15.6%, intrusion into the middle ear 1%, granulation tissue 0, cholesteatoma 0, otorrhea 5.2%, perforation 0. Three hundred and eight tubes of 156 patients were removed at 12-24 months after tube insertion, with spontaneous extrusion 9%, blocked tube 12.8%, intrusion into the middle ear 1.3%, granulation tissue 1. 9%, cholesteatoma 0.6%, otorrhea 2.5%, perforation was 0. One hundred and sixty one tubes of 83 patients were removed at 24-36 months after tube insertion, with spontaneous extrusion 36.1%, blocked tube 53%, intrusion into the middle ear 6%, granulation tissue 3.6%, cholesteatoma 2.4%, otorrhea 2.4%, perforation 2.4%.

The occurrence of complication didn't increase with time going by when the ventilation tube retained less than two years. However, when the ventilation tube retained more than two years, the occurrence of spontaneous extrusion and blocked tube increased obviously.